


How To Cope With Everything

by Viper_Flower



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author Projecting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Scar regresses, This is just me projecting my unhealthy coping mechanisms onto Doc, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Why?, because I said so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24923377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viper_Flower/pseuds/Viper_Flower
Summary: “Why isn’t it working?” Doc yelled, hitting the observer with his fist repeatedly. He knew that wasn’t going to fix it, but it felt good. He began hitting it with both fists now, a hiss bubbling up in his throat. Doc was glad no one was around, because if they saw him losing control-“Doc, what on Earth are you doing?”
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 97





	How To Cope With Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm just projecting onto Doc here. This is how I deal with this kind of situation (like, I mess up minorly while stressed out). Also, Scar age-regresses to about age 4, but it's not super relevant, just wanted to add it and it worked. Sooooo yeah

“Why isn’t it working?” Doc yelled, hitting the observer with his fist repeatedly. He knew that wasn’t going to fix it, but it felt good. He began hitting it with both fists now, a hiss bubbling up in his throat. Doc was glad no one was around, because if they saw him losing control-

“Doc, what on Earth are you doing?” The creeper whirled around to see his neighbor, Bdubs, crawling into the nook Doc had carved out for the Redstone under his base. “I heard metal clashing from in my half of the house!”

“It’s nothing, just ah, percussive maintenance.” Doc smoothly lied, finally picking up the observer and opening the back to see what was wrong. He eyed the wires and saw what was wrong; the red wire was connected to the blue input and vice versa. 

Forgetting Bdubs was still there, Doc slammed down the observer, dropped to the floor, and promptly curled into a ball, pulling up his lab coat to cover his head and face. Of course, it was so obvious, how hadn’t he noticed that while crafting it? Thoughts swirled through his head, nagging him, taunting him. Suddenly jerked back to reality, Doc felt a hand on his back. He didn’t like it, so he hissed loudly, and the hand was gone. Good, at least something was going right. Hissing means good things happen, hissing meant people went away. 

No no no! Doc curled his left hand into a fist and began to hit it against his head. Stupid! Ren said no! No hissing, hissing bad, bad! Stupid Doc, no hissing! We want people, people help! He continued beating his head as if that would force the thought to stay. 

Thoughts, thinking, what is thinking? How does thinking work? What if other people can hear his thoughts, but he doesn’t know? He scrunched his eyes closed as if that would make it so they couldn’t. He knew they couldn’t anyway, it’s impossible to hear other people’s thoughts, but he thought about it anyway. Gosh, now he’s thinking about him thinking? No, no, too far, gone, gone, too far gone. But does he want to go back to what was happening? What was happening?

Doc felt the urge to look up, to see what was going on, where he was, why he was upset, but every other urge said to ‘stay the hell down’. So he did. Easy, just listen to the thoughts, they know what’s best. And hissing is good, so let’s do that. He hissed, quieter, so Ren wouldn’t be mad. Ren can’t be mad, Ren’s not here! Bdubs is. Oh shit, Bdubs is! He has to look! But the thoughts said not to. But- but- but- ARGH!

Mustering up the strength to go against the thoughts, Doc peeked through his fingers. His hair fell partly in front of his eyes, but he could see Bdubs staring outside through the crawl-hole. Then the big chocolate eyes were looking at him. Doc quickly nestled back into himself, knowing Bdubs saw him looking but pretending he didn’t.

“Doc, look, I don’t know why you’re upset, but you are! So I texted Ren, and he should be here soon, and he’s bringing Scar as well.” Bdubs explained, and deep down the creeper felt happy he knew what was going on. Then something in Doc snapped and he shrieked, high-pitched and hissy. 

Yes, Ren! Ren can help! Ren knows how to calm him down! Ren can stop the hissing!

No, oh no, Ren! Ren said no hissing! No, no, no, no, no! Stop it, stop it! Tears streamed down his face, and his legs flailed wildly. His arms stayed over his face, he couldn’t be seen like this, he couldn’t be seen crying. He knew he was watched, but he wanted to not know that.

“Doc?” Ren. No, no no no, Ren heard him hissing, Ren was upset! “Doc, I’m not upset. I just want to know what happened.” Doc pointed to where he remembered the observer sat, probably smashed to bits with the force he had set it down with. He heard the sound of metal scraping on the ground and then the sound of wires sparking. “It’s alright now, Doc!”

“No, it’s not.” Doc’s voice was scratchy. He hated it. He tried not to hiss.

“Yes, it is! See? The wires are fixed!” He felt a hand on his arm, and he wanted so bad to fling it away, but this was Ren!

“I know! But it’s not alright?”

“Why isn’t it alright?”

“I don’t know!” Doc began to hit his head again, but Ren grabbed his hands so he couldn’t. The creeper let him hold his arms down, simply letting his tears out. Every few minutes he’d start to calm down, but then he’d remember everything that’s just happened and begin to cry again. He wanted to hiss, really bad, but Ren said no, right?

“Doc, please listen. You’re being very hard on yourself, and I know you want to hiss and let it out, right?” Doc nodded, not sure how Ren knew but glad he did. “And that’s perfectly fine. I shouldn’t have told you not too, I was acting in my interest and not yours; I had been startled when you first did it, and I acted on impulse. Go ahead, you do what you want to feel good.” A small kiss was pressed to his head as warm hands gently gripped his, and Doc gave a sob of relief. Slowly, his sobs turned into hisses, low and calming, exactly what he wanted.

“Uncle Doc?” After a few minutes had passed, Doc opened his eyes to see large green ones staring into his own. Scar had seemingly sat there the whole time, waiting for him to calm down enough to talk, and the creeper could tell that the landscaper had regressed because of how he called him ‘uncle’. Doc hummed in a light questioning tone. Scar held up a stuffed kitten doll and pressed it to Doc’s chest. “Jellie hugs you! She gives me hugs when I’m sad, and she’s magic ya know, so she can tell you’re sad too, and sad isn’t good so she’s hugging you!” Doc chuckled, slipping his hands out of Ren’s and holding the doll.

“Thanksss…” The ‘s’ trailed for a moment, but no one pointed it out. Scar began to pull out other toys and a coloring book, managing to distract Doc so the creeper didn’t even notice Ren and Bdubs clean up the loose Redstone scattered around. 

It took over 30 minutes, but Doc was finally back in a peaceful state of mind. He knew that this outburst would not be the last and that he still needed to find a better coping mechanism for stress and anger, but for now, this worked.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, you actually read to the end? Good job, here, have a sticker *hands u a sticker of a kitty saying "me-wow"*


End file.
